Raven's Forbidden Happiness
by Windrises
Summary: Raven doesn't fit in with her teammates, even after a few years of being a Titan. While trying to make herself feel better, she meets a new friend. Her name is Rose and she and Raven quickly form a close bond.


Notes: Teen Titans is owned by DC Comics and the animated series is owned by Warner Bros. Robin was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. The other Titans were created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez.

Raven was the darkest and most mysterious teammate, that the Teen Titans had ever had. However, she was also the team's shyest member. Due to being the daughter of Trigon, an evil demon, Raven wasn't the best at socializing. At times, people trying to talk to her angered her and other times, it scared her. Raven struggled to have a normal, civil conversation with anybody. She even struggled to communicate with her teammates, Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. She considered them to be her friends, even though she often acted distant and cold, when she wasn't around them. Her lengthy cloak covered up most of her face, except for her eyes and mouth. Because of that, her teammates often forget what her face and hair looked like.

One day, Raven was sitting around her room, in the Teen Titans' tower. She tapped her foot, while thinking about what she should do. She had been a member of the Teen Titans, for a few years, but she still didn't fit in. Raven wanted to change that. The Titans were in the living room, except for her. She sat in her room, while reading a book of spells. She sighed, while feeling anxious and bored. She put the book down and decided it was time she started hanging out with her friends. She pulled down her cloak's hood, so her friends would be able to see her face. She looked at her face, in a mirror. She didn't think she looked very good, but she was never the type of person, who cared about style.

Raven went into the living room. Robin was testing out his utility-belt's gadgets, Starfire was brushing her hair, and Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing by a video game. Raven often floated around, instead of walking. Her teammates didn't know she had entered the living room, because they didn't hear the sound of footsteps. Raven shyly stared at her friends, while saying, "Hi, guys."

Raven's teammates were surprised that Raven's hood was down. They had seen her face, once in a while, but it was a pretty rare event. Robin said, "Um, hi, Raven. What's going on? Is there a crime going on or something?"

Raven said, "Not that I'm aware of. Um, I know I don't normally hangout with you guys, but I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me."

Robin looked confounded, while asking, "Why would we want to do that?"

Raven said, "So, we can have fun and because team bonding is important."

Robin replied, "Team bonding is important. However, I don't feel the need to socialize with people, who are the daughters of demons and act like a killjoy."

Raven nervously responded, "I know I'm not the life of the party or anything, but I think we could have some fun."

Robin had an amused look on his face, while saying, "Raven, do you actually think we're your friends?"

Raven nervously answered, "Yes."

Beast Boy burst into laughter and said, "Yeah right, you freak."

Cyborg replied, "Raven's a mood-killing demon, who's lacking in charm and good looks, but she's not that big of a freak."

Raven floated by Robin, who was testing out some batarangs. She said, "I see you're trying out new gadgets. Even though I have magical powers, I do like handmade weapons. Do you wanna try out the weapons, together?"

Robin cringed at the thought of that and replied, "Stay away from my weapons. Knowing you, you'll probably put a curse on them."

Raven looked upset, while responding, "Come on. I don't curse other heroes' stuff."

Robin replied, "Leave me alone, demon."

Raven floated by Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were on the fifteenth round of their videogame. They had been their videogame, for too long, so they looked dizzy and they smelt dirty. Raven tried to have a friendly smile on her face, while saying, "Hi, bros. I like videogames and stuff like that. Mind if I play a game with you guys?"

Cyborg snobbishly replied, "We do mind. You aren't cool enough, to be one of your videogame buddies."

Beast Boy said, "Raven, we're trying to focus on our game, so leave us alone."

Raven sighed and replied, "Okay."

Raven floated by Starfire and said, "Hi, Starfire. What are you doing?"

Starfire sprayed perfume on herself, while replying, "I'm trying to look and smell my best. I might go to the beauty parlor, later."

Raven said, "Oh, that sounds cool. Can I come, too?"

Starfire chuckled and replied, "You must be joking, Raven. Beauty parlors improve the looks, of people, who are already appealing. I'm disgusted by your mere presence and no beauty parlor can change that."

Raven looked sad, while saying, "Come on. I know I'm not cute or anything, but I don't think I look terrible."

Starfire replied, "You look like a train wreck. However, trains usually look good, before they got into wrecks. You've never looked good."

Robin said, "I agree with Starfire. Look, Raven, we want what's best for you, so how about you put that hood over your face?" Raven nodded and pulled the hood over her face. Robin said, "Also, Raven, you might want to consider wearing pants."

Raven explained, "I wear a leotard."

Starfire replied, "You're not a gymnast and you look like a zombie, so the less we see of you, the better."

Robin asked, "How about you go to the store and get a real outfit?"

Raven wiped a tear off her face and replied, "Don't worry, guys. You won't to deal with my repulsive presence, because I'm going out. When I get back, I'll hangout in my room, so I don't bother you guys."

Robin responded, "Sounds good."

Raven used her powers, to teleport her to the outside of the tower. She floated around, while saying, "I can't believe the others dislike me, to such an extreme degree. I didn't think I was their favorite teammate or anything, but I thought they cared about me. I thought I was a friend of theirs. However, it seems I'm an annoyance to them. It seems like they don't like anything I do, unless it's helping them fight crime."

Raven wanted to get her mind off her sadness, so she went to a ninja-training club. Raven already had a membership card, so she quickly went inside and started having practice fights, with a bunch of ninjas. Raven was in a upset mood, so she fought more fiercely, than she usually did. She managed to defeat ten ninjas, who plopped to the ground. She looked down at them and said, "Wow, I was probably too hard on those guys."

Raven looked around and saw a young woman, who had defeated a dozen ninjas, without any help. The woman had gray hair and had an eyepatch. Raven said, "That was awesome."

The woman smiled with confidence and replied, "That's for sure."

Raven shyly said, "I'm Raven."

The woman replied, "I'm Rose Wilson."

Raven asked, "How did you defeat a dozen ninjas?"

Rose said, "Because I'm an expert, when it comes to these type of fights."

Raven raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then why do you do training?"

Rose smirked and said, "I like a good fight. Why are you here? Beating up ten ninjas, on your own, is pretty impressive."

Raven replied, "I just needed something, to get my mind off my fake friends."

Rose responded, "I understand. I often have to get my mind off my father. He thinks his parenting skills are a stroke of genius, but that couldn't be less true."

Raven said, "My teammates think I'm more repulsive than a bag of dirt."

Rose replied, "Wow, it sounds like your teammates have no taste."

Raven had a thought in her head. She wondered if she should ask Rose, if she wanted to hangout with her. Raven was nervous, but she wanted to try to be her friend. She nervously smiled, while asking, "Do you wanna hangout?"

Rose asked, "Are you asking me, if I wanna go beat up more people?"

Raven said, "No. Um, I was wondering if you wanted to hangout, like friends do. We could get something to eat or something."

Rose tried to act cool and casual, while replying, "Alright then. I suppose going for a bite might be okay."

Raven and Rose went to a nearby diner. After sitting down, a snooty waiter walked up to them. He looked weirded-out by Raven's strange appearance, while asking, "What can I get you?"

Raven said, "I'd like some bat milk and cookies, please."

The waiter laughed and replied, "That's a meal for little kiddies."

Rose grabbed the waiter and had an intimidating look on her face, while saying, "Get my friend her meal, without judging, or you won't get a tip."

The waiter straightened his tie and replied, "Okay then. What can I get you?"

Rose shyly answered, "I'll have the same thing she ordered."

After the waiter walked away, Raven said, "Wow, I've never met somebody, who also likes bat cookies and milk."

Rose looked embarrassed and avoided eye-contact with Raven, while replying, "Look, don't tell anybody."

Raven said, "Don't worry, Rose."

Rose noticed Raven had been wearing a hood over her head, the entire time, so she asked, "Why do you have the hood?"

Raven said, "It's, um, a fashion choice."

Rose raised an eyebrow and asked, "A fashion choice? I'm not buying that. There's a different reason you're covering your face, isn't there?"

Raven sighed and replied, "I'm afraid there is. My friends think I look ugly and gross. I don't want to deal with more mockery-filled comments, so I always wear the hood."

Rose responded, "Pull the hood down. I wanna see your real face." Raven shook her head. Rose crossed her legs and said, "Come on, Raven. Be brave and bold."

Raven pulled down the hood and said, "I hope you think I look okay."

Rose looked mesmerized by Raven's face, while saying, "Wow, why have you been hiding that pretty face of yours?"

Raven looked sad, while replying, "My friends think I'm an eyesore."

Rose responded, "If your friends think that, they're not your real friends. Those jerks are wrong about you. You look great."

Raven blushed, while saying, "I really appreciate you saying that, Rose."

Rose replied, "I was just saying an objective fact, so don't think I'm sentimental or anything."

Raven said, "You look really good, too."

Rose folded her arms and replied, "Yeah right."

Raven said, "Hey, I'm just stating an objective fact, so you can't argue with me."

Rose smiled and replied, "I guess you're right. Thank you, Raven."

A few minutes later, Raven and Rose started chewing on their bat cookies and drinking their bat milk. They smiled at each other, while joking around and getting to know more about each other. When the check came, Raven said, "I'll pay for it."

Rose replied, "I don't think so. I'll take care of it."

Raven said, "You gave me the best hour, that I've had in a long time, so I'm not letting you pay a dime."

Rose replied, "Okay then. Thank you."

After Raven paid, she and Rose walked out of the diner. Raven looked at a nearby clock and noticed it was still the afternoon, so she looked at Rose and asked, "Do you wanna keep hanging out?"

Rose said, "Sure. Do you wanna have a action-packed duel, that involves swords and katanas?"

Raven nervously smiled and replied, "I'm afraid I was thinking of something a little more wholesome."

Rose sighed and responded, "Oh, no. You're not gonna take me to a Unikitty fan-convention or anything, are you?"

Raven replied, "No. There's a new Pretty Pretty Pegasus film. Do you wanna see it?"

Rose coldly stared at Raven, while asking, "Do you think I wanna see an overly-sweet film about horses and friendship?" She leaned closer to Raven and whispered, "Don't tell anybody, but Pretty Pretty Pegasus is a guilty pleasure of mine." Raven grinned.

Raven and Rose went to the theater and started watching the latest Pretty Pretty Pegasus film. The two women tried to hide their excitement, but it was too hard. They both smiled, while watching the latest adventures of Sparkleface and Butterbean. They laughed, cheered, and shed a few tears. Raven was usually embarrassed or humiliated, whenever she brought up Pretty Pretty Pegasus, in front of her friends. However, she didn't feel ashamed, when she told Rose about it. She and Rose respected each other.

After the film was over, Raven and Rose walked out of the theater. Raven looked at Rose, while asking, "What did you think of the film?"

Rose tried to look uncaring, while answering, "It was decent."

Raven nudged Rose and replied, "Come on, Rose. What did you actually think of it?"

Rose sighed and responded, "It was so good."

Raven said, "I agree." Raven looked up and saw the sun going down. She sighed and said, "As much as I'd like to stick around, I better start heading back. Even though Robin barely cares about me, he throws a fit, when I don't get back to the tower, at a certain hour."

Rose replied, "I understand. My dad acts the same way."

Raven said, "I had a great time."

Rose replied, "So did I, but don't tell anybody."

Raven said, "You seem to have a problem, with people knowing you're happy."

Rose replied, "And you seem to have the problem, of caring what your rude friends think about you."

Raven looked a bit ashamed, while saying, "That's true. I guess we both have stuff to work on. Maybe we can help each other. We will see each other, in the near future, right?"

Rose answered, "I guess so."

Raven said, "I look forward to that."

Rose replied, "Thank you for paying for our meal, the movie tickets, and the concessions' stuff. I probably owe you a hundred dollars."

Raven tenderly smiled, while saying, "You gave me a day of happiness, that's worth more than any dollar bill."

Rose put her hand on her ears and replied, "Stop it. You're being too adorable."

Raven said, "I'm sorry."

Rose replied, "It's cool." Rose shook Raven's hand. Rose started heading home, while Raven started floating to the Titans' tower.

Raven was in such a good mood, because of her day with Rose, that she was skipping and dancing. She tried to be quiet, so her teammates wouldn't notice, but they saw her prancing to her room. Her teammates went into her room and stared at her. Raven said, "Hi, guys."

Robin asked, "Why were you dancing?"

Raven answered, "Because I was happy."

Robin asked, "Why?"

Raven said, "I made a new friend."

Starfire replied, "You must of found somebody, who's as ugly as you."

Robin said, "She probably befriended Man-Bat or Killer Croc." Robin and Starfire laughed, while Raven angrily closed her bedroom door.

The next morning, Raven was in her room, while playing with her Pretty Pretty Pegasus toys. Suddenly, her cellphone started ringing. She picked up her phone and realized Rose was calling her. She answered the phone and said, "Hi, Rose."

Rose replied, "Hi, Raven."

Raven asked, "What's going on?"

Rose spoke in a shy tone of voice, while saying, "I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast or something like that."

Raven replied, "Sounds great. We could get a morning milkshake, from Milky Marvin."

Rose responded, "Actually, I was wondering if you could meet me at the Penguin's new diner. I might have a surprise for you, but it's nothing that special, so don't get excited."

Raven said, "That sounds lovely. I'll be there, as soon as I can."

Rose replied, "Okay."

After getting off the phone, Raven looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing her hood over her face. However, thanks to Rose making her feel better about how she looked, she pulled down the hood.

Raven went into the living room. She looked at her teammates. Robin was doing his morning exercise, Starfire was blow-drying her hair, and Cyborg and Beat Boy were lounging on the couch. Raven said, "I'm going to get going."

Robin asked, "Where are you going?"

Raven said, "To the Penguin's diner, to get breakfast."

Starfire said, "Knowing you, you're probably going by yourself, because nobody can stand the sight of your face."

Raven replied, "Actually, I'm going with my friend." Raven floated out of the Titans' tower.

Cyborg got up and said, "Raven has an actual friend? Somebody must be trolling her or something."

Beast Boy said, "Anybody, who thinks Raven is appealing, has no self-respect."

Robin said, "We should check out this diner. We can beat up the Penguin, make fun of Raven, and get some waffles." The other Titans smiled and agreed to Robin's plan.

A while later, Raven entered the diner. She looked around and saw the Penguin, who was lying on the floor. She asked, "What happened?"

The Penguin said, "Your stupid friends beat me up, for no real reason."

Robin angrily replied, "You were serving birdseed to humans, you monster."

The Penguin responded, "Some people like that stuff. I don't judge."

Raven looked at her teammates, while saying, "If you guys want to eat here, that's fine, but don't beat up the owner and don't bother me."

Cyborg replied, "Chill out, Raven."

Beast Boy said, "We want to have some fun."

Raven gave her teammates a disapproving, while saying, "You guys haven't been treating me like a fellow teammate. You've been bullies to me. If you continue treating me like this, I'll leave the team and fight crime, on my own." She floated away from her teammates and started heading to the table Rose reserved for her.

Robin looked at Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, while asking, "Have we been too hard on Raven?"

Starfire sighed and replied, "I guess we all enjoyed villainizing Raven, because she was the daughter of the demon."

Cyborg said, "We thought we could poke fun at Raven, without looking bad."

Beast Boy replied, "We failed to be good teammates."

Meanwhile, Raven sat down and looked at Rose, while saying, "Hi, Rose. It's good to see you."

Rose replied, "It's good to see your real face, rather than that hood of yours. Also, I'm glad to see you stand up to those bullies."

Raven said, "You inspired me."

Rose replied, "You're welcome." She paused and said, "Anyways, I had a waffle specially prepared for you."

Raven looked down and saw a waffle, that was in the shape of a heart. Raven said, "Aww, you're so sweet, Rose."

Rose replied, "Yeah right. I'm not sweet or anything like that."

Raven said, "You're the sweetest and truest friend, that I've ever had." Raven gave Rose a big hug, while saying, "I love you."

Rose replied, "I love you, too." Raven and Rose ate their breakfast, while holding hands. Raven no longer cared, if her teammates didn't approve. She had found happiness and she was never going to be ashamed of who she is and what she likes, ever again.


End file.
